May 19, 2019

Praying with verses from Isaiah 12 for our deploying warriors this week:

Lord,

When our warriors turn to face the battle,

like You turned to face the cross,

may they feel Your presence.

When they sacrifice their time, their comfort, their desires--

a small glimpse of Your example--

give them the courage needed.

For You Lord are the source of all strength to carry burdens

the source of all love that makes us brave enough to sacrifice

the source of all hope of a greater good.

"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.

The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and defense;

He has become my salvation." 

Thank You Lord! Thank You for great strategies, great equipment, great training.

But all of that is nothing compared to having You as our strength and defense.

We can do nothing without You.

"With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

In that day you will say: 'Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name;

make known among the nations what He has done,

and proclaim that His name is exalted."

For those who are deployed or deploying, Lord may they turn their eyes to You.

May fear turn to joy in anticipating seeing You work.

May the hard times bring an intimacy with You like never before.

And when those stories of being saved come, may we praise You as ruler of circumstances and battles.

"Sing to the Lord, for He has done glorious things;

let this be known to all the world.

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,

for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."

With this confidence in You our leader, we pray for our warriors. May their missions be right and successful. Please be with their loved ones and be the grace between them as they say goodbyes.

We pray for those who have lost their warriors. Lord hold them close.

And we pray for those who continue to fight personal battles. May suicide never be an option. May our veterans be surrounded with care.

Thank You Lord for all the victories already given. We will follow You.

May 5, 2019

Lord, we were not made for this.
We were not made for separation
for fear
for war.
We have fallen so far in this world.

Yet You still reign in our brokenness
You still comfort in our loneliness
You still triumph in our tragedies

You alone can turn mourning into dancing
You alone can make our hardest times into our best times
You alone can redeem the time

Thank You Lord!
We turn our eyes to You
We pin all of our hopes on You
You are the One who commands time
You are the One who can delay planes or speed ships
You are the One who can send storms or clear skies
You are the Almighty.

And so we pray confidently for our deploying warriors.
We pray for all who love them.
May the time of separation be a time of leaning--hard--into--You.
May the quiet nights be a time to pray as never before.
May the struggles with dishwashers and employers and sassy, hurting kids be a time to grow our faith in You.
May the helplessness be a place where we can fully know Your control.
Redeem this time Lord. Make it worth it as only You can do.

We pray for our vulnerable warriors Lord. Give them the emotional courage they need, and surround them with Your people. May suicide be thwarted in all of our ranks.

No matter where You have placed us today Lord, may we grow in our faith and shine our lights.

March 31, 2019

Good, good Father,
to David You gave Jonathan
to Moses, Aaron
to Paul, Timothy--

And so we pray for Your sweet provision for our warriors.
May they find deep friendships, spiritual battle buddies.
May they sharpen each other, hold each other accountable,
hold each other up, spur each other on.
May they laugh together.

This world is too lonely, Lord, especially in our military.
Help our military members find friends, and go deep quickly.
Please help them stay connected through the moves.
And Lord please hold them close; help them grieve,
when so many they know die and they can't take the time to mourn.

May they be willing to reach out again.
May they have those they can truly trust.
May they be quick to defend, to encourage.
May they rejoice with those who rejoice, (even when jealous)
and weep with those who weep.

Thank You Lord Jesus for Your example of selfless love for others.
And thank You for always being with us, even in our darkest, most lonely hours
Help our warriors learn to lean in to You. May Your presence be very real in their lives.

We pray for our veterans. May they find healthy relationships and community and purpose.

We pray against the choking spirit of loneliness, the demonic spirit of suicide.
Lord may our warriors reach out to You and to each other and conquer the isolation of shame.

For You alone can heal the heart.
You alone can be the friend closer than the brother.
You alone will never fail to love.

Thank You Abba.

March 17, 2019

Lord—our Perfect Parent—thank You for our children. What amazing creations—beautiful eyes, awesome smiles, funny perspectives, great potentials. How You have blessed us! How You have blessed them.

“I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14

God we ask for healing for the sick children that only You can provide.

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Isaiah 40:29

Father God, above all, may they know You. Whatever it takes, Lord, make them miserable and lost without You.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30

Lord please guide their steps. Lead them in the way they should go. Help them to not be overwhelmed by the tasks, but to see Your power in their lives.

“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him.” Psalm 37:23

We ask for direction in their lives. Help them to see the closed doors as part of Your plan. Help them to find their way in serving You. Be with them through the tests and grades and applications and choices.

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6

And may they have the courage to do Your will.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deut 31:6

Please surround them with encouraging friends. May they reach their generation for You.

“Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:22

We ask that You will keep our children safe from the enemy.

“You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7

May they be surrounded by reminders of You. May they be hunted down by You!

“For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Psalm 91:11-12

Father God may they have true joy in their day today.

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51:12

Lord, may they grow in You!

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18

From the toddler struggling to obey 'no' to the young adult choosing college classes, Lord we place them on the altar before You. We especially pray for the extra hurdles the military child has—grief compounded with the loss of friends in moves, fear as parents deploy, adjustment to the constant changes.

We pray for us as parents and leaders. May we never cause them to stumble in their walk.

We pray for safety for our deployed. For wisdom in those making decisions that place our warriors in harm's way. And we pray for our veterans who have fought the fight. Lord, be with them in the war for their soul. May they not give in to despair.

All your children look to You! Amen.

For more scriptures to pray, check out PrayingScriptures.com

March 10, 2019

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ― Albert Einstein

Let’s pray with the song "How Deep The Father's Love For Us"

“How deep the Father's love for us,

How vast beyond all measure”

Lord God, Almighty One, Father in Heaven, Abba,

We sit in our little houses, surrounded by our little things, encapsulated in our own little lives, and we see no miracles. We pretend we're taking care of everything by ourselves. We lull ourselves to sleep without noticing Your love.

But then the snow geese pass. Flocks like clouds, singing Your praise, white bodies tipped with black and for a moment, our eyes awaken to the miracles.

The miracles of temps rising, of new life growing, of hearts changing. And as we see the miracles, we see the love behind them from You.

Help us to see Lord. Help us to be engulfed in Your love.

“That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure”

And there's the greatest miracle of all--that You would love us enough to create us; and then to die for us. So many times, we wonder how You can forgive us; and yet You already did, 2000 years ago.

“How great the pain of searing loss,

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the chosen One,

Bring many sons to glory”

During this season of Lent, Father don't let us forget the cost. Help us be changed by it. May the cross make us grateful. Humble. And overwhelmingly confident in Your love.

“Behold the Man upon a cross,

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,

Call out among the scoffers”

Lord, we want to confess for our people. We understand that all need to individually repent, but we corporately confess too. Forgive us for our pride. Forgive us for our egocentrism. Forgive us for thinking we don't need You. Forgive us for filling our need for You with so many other things like drinking and relationships and greed and busy-ness. So much busy-ness. Forgive us for not protecting the innocent. Forgive our foul, scoffing mouths. Forgive us for not seeking You.

“It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished”

It is finished. Lord help us to remember the chains of our sinful lives, without staying in them, without wallowing in them. Without saying 'your sacrifice wasn't enough, I still need to punish myself.'

“I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection”

Resurrection Sunday is coming! And beyond that You are coming again! Lord, help us shout this out! Help us share the joy. Not the joy in the new dress or the eggs or the spring. The joy in You.

“Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom”

Great, unending love. And it is because of this we can pray. 

We pray You will guard the hearts of our deployed. May Your resurrection be real to them as never before in this season. 

We pray against the demonic spirit of suicide in our troops. May they all know the deep love of Jesus.

Lord please give our warriors direction in their careers--promotions, difficult situations, choices to make, new moves. We trust in You through it all.

We ask for Your wisdom Lord. How our warriors raise their children. Guide them in the logistics of another move. Help them reach their neighbors.

Help us to live as deeply loved children today. May Your love overflow into our warriors’ marriages. May grace and forgiveness abound. May self-sacrifice be the goal. May their love be long-suffering. 

May these hard times be the catalyst for great things. We pray for our leaders, including the spiritual leaders in the Chief of Chaplain's office.

We pray for healing for our friends--for surgeries and miserable flu bugs and mysterious illnesses and suffering babies. We turn to You, our great Physician, recognizing that everything is a miracle.

And we love You Lord, the God of Love, Amen.

Click here to consider “How Deep the Father’s Love”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl6Nd8EuKNk

“How Deep the Father’s Love”

CCLI #7051633

Written By Stuart Townend

1995 Thankyou Music

March 3, 2019

"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God's people."

Thank You Lord for believers in the military and sisters that share the burdens.
You are so gracious to us, and help us in all kinds of ways.
Thank You for helping us to love each other.

"the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you."

Hope. Lord, our ranks need it so desperately. Too many are dying in despair.
You-are-hope.
Without You there is nothing to this life, and no hope for the next.
We thank You for it. Please help us to share it.

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you."

Lord, make us a praying people. We have so much at stake, don't let us grow complacent. Remind us to fight on our knees.

"We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives."

Lord we pray for those seeking direction in their lives. For all the big and little decisions, Father, You know what is best.
And show us how to live in Your will today.

"so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God"

Yes Lord. Make it our deepest desire.

"being STRENGTHENED with all POWER according to HIS glorious MIGHT so that you may have great ENDURANCE and PATIENCE"

Lord, we need You! We pray this for our sisters and ourselves. When the kids are sick and the hubby is gone and the car isn't working and the people are fighting and the orders aren't right and so much more...Make us military wives women of patience and endurance and strength.

"and giving JOYful THANKS to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light."

Make us women of joy and thanks Father, for we have so much to be joyful and thankful for.
We pray for those dealing with anxiety. Lord, hold them close and heal their bodies.

"For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Thank You for rescuing us Lord, and help us to rescue others. We pray for our neighbors, Lord may they find You! We pray for that difficult woman in our groups, may she be softened by Your love. We pray for the complacent friend, who doesn't want to consider You. We pray we would have spiritual eyes to see the people around us and reach out!

We pray for those in despair, may the spirit of suicide be kept away. We pray for our hurting veterans.

We pray for those of us in ministry. Lord give them power and joy.
We pray for those of us in ministry without a title. Lord, give us direction and purpose.
We pray for those of us in ministry to little ones. Lord please gift them with patience and endurance.

God of all hope, may You be seen shining brightly throughout our military.
Amen

Feb. 24, 2019

Praying with the song "O Come to the Altar" by Elevation Worship this week:
Click here to sing with Elevation Worship

"Are you hurting and broken within
Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin
Jesus is calling
Have you come to the end of yourself
Do you thirst for a drink from the well
Jesus is calling"

Oh Lord,
is there any joy higher than seeing Your children love You?
any hurt deeper than seeing them run away?
All-loving Father, You know.
You know both the pain and the joy.
And You love our children more than we do. 

We pray they would be overwhelmed by the weight of their sin.
Lord, make them miserable in their wrong ways.
Please don't harden their hearts.
Put in them a deep thirst, an unending longing.

May they at an early age come to the end of themselves
As our military kids learn the limitations of their parents and friends
May they also learn Your limitless power, 
unfailing love
deep, deep mercy

"O come to the altar
The Father's arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ"

Thank You Father for Your forgiveness
For losing Your Son in order to regain ours.
Thank You for the cross, the grave, and the triumph over deathOh Lord, thank You for hope!

"Leave behind your regrets and mistakes
Come today there's no reason to wait
Jesus is calling
Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy
From the ashes a new life is born
Jesus is calling"

Lord, may our little ones learn to turn away from selfishness
May our older ones learn to see the world as You do.
And as they begin to choose their path in life,
we ask You would guide them through each step.
May they find their purpose in You.

Loving Father, please be the hound of heaven for those who are turning away.
Cut them off from every destructive path.
May the image of the prodigal son's father torment them.
We ask that bad relationships would be broken.
Break their will and may they return to the teachings of their youth.
May they know that they know Your love.
Silence any doubts that they can repent.

Lord we pray our military kids would not be distracted by their hardships,
but may they be strengthened.
May they see Your hand in their life
through the deployments
the PCSs.
May they fill the loneliness with You.
May they learn to sing Your praise in all circumstances.
May they find Your blessings in every corner of this world.
May they understand what it means to be a servant as they choose their careers.

"Oh what a Savior
Isn't he wonderful
Sing alleluia Christ is risen
Bow down before him
For he is Lord of all
Sing alleluia Christ is risen"

Oh Lord, such hope!
Such joy and comfort You give!
Thank You for these children
Thank You for Your example of love
You are able to be there for them when we can't!
You are patient and kind
You always protect, always trust, always hope, always persevere!
You never fail!
You are love!

"Bear your cross as you wait for the crown
Tell the world of the treasure you've found"

Yes Lord, may our children tell the world of Your love.
Amen.

"O Come to the Altar"
CCLI #7051633
Written By Chris Brown, Mack Brock, Steven Furtick, Wade Joye
2015, Elevation Worship Publishing